Who Needs Vascular Surgery?

Written by: Allison Zahorcak

The term vascular surgery covers a wide variety of illnesses and related conditions that affect the veins, arteries, and capillaries throughout the human body.  From rare conditions to more common occurrences, the vascular system has a multitude of reasons why one may need vascular surgery Washington DC.   Typically, your doctor will try to address vascular conditions with changes in lifestyle.  This may include diet, exercise, or physical therapy.  However, a doctor may insist upon Vascular Surgery Washington DC if your veins or arteries are blocked or swollen to the point of restricting blood and oxygen.

Though there are many more conditions that could lead to vascular surgery DC, the following conditions represent the majority of vascular conditions reported:

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm
• Aortic dissection
• Carotid artery disease
• Claudication
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Diabetic foot
• Lymphedema
• Mesenteric ischemia
• Peripheral aneurysm
• Peripheral artery disease
• Renal artery disease
• Thoracic aortic aneurysm
• Varicose veins
• Venous insufficiency

If you or a loved one is looking for a Vascular Surgery Center Washington DC, make sure you look for doctors that can offer a multidisciplinary approach to your treatment plan.   In addition to modern technology and various treatment plans, these doctors should be people you can trust to oversee your health pre and post surgery.   Those undergoing treatment will need to arrange for transportation as well as time off work.

Vascular Surgery for Varicose Veins

Varicose veins are a fairly common condition where veins become twisted and swollen just underneath the surface of the skin.   Referred to widely as spider veins, these swollen veins rarely cause major health problems for patients.  Though ulcers and blockages are possible, your doctor will typically recommend a lifestyle change such as diet or exercise before recommending a procedure.   The majority of patients will seek vascular surgery DC to improve the look of their legs or prevent future agitations or issues from occurring.  In many ways, treatment for varicose veins is the most common vascular surgery Washington DC.  Talk to your doctor if you or a loved is looking to treat spider veins.

Remember, vascular surgery DC is still a serious procedure.  Make sure you find a Vascular Surgery Center Washington DC you can trust with your health.  To learn more about surgery centers in your area, visit: http://www.medstarwashington.org/

Exercise and Bariatric Surgery for Weight Loss

Written by: Jessica George

Are you ready to lose weight but aren't sure exactly how to go about doing so? Along with a healthier diet, exercise can be very beneficial in helping you to lose weight. However, some types of exercise are much more efficient than others.

Best Types of Exercise for Weight Loss

Some of the best exercises for weight loss may seem so simple, yet they are often effective. If you haven't tried any of the following, give them a chance!

• Walking - What could be easier than walking? While many other exercises may leave you with injuries such as a pulled muscle, walking tends to put a little less stress on your ligaments. You can walk anywhere you want, without worrying about a gym membership or buying equipment.

• Running - While it may not be as easy as walking, running is also a great way to burn off some of those unwanted calories. Not only does running burn fat, but it also works to make your bones stronger and keeps your heart in shape to help prevent certain heart conditions.

• Swimming - Without being too hard on your body, swimming helps to strengthen and tone those muscles, effectively working all or most of your body. Plus, it may be great way to enjoy the sun but also cool off on a hot day!

• Bicycling - Riding your bike can be a great way to pedal off some stress or enjoy fresh air and sunshine. However, it is also a great way to burn fat. Bicycling tends to be a bit easier on your body than exercises like running because your feet and knees are not stressed due to impact with the ground.

• Jumping rope - While it may sound like a game enjoyed by kids, jumping rope can help you get in shape, too! Not only does it help to burn calories, but it also helps to strengthen and tone muscles and bones.

These exercises can be employed in an attempt to lose weight or to keep weight off. If you are having difficulty losing weight in the first place, you may want to consider bariatric surgery. You can then utilize these exercises after bariatric surgery Washington DC to keep the weight off.

Bariatric Surgery Decisions

Written By: Rachael Kaine

With reality TV shows following patients that receive weight loss surgeries, the call to be “fit” and active by celebrities and renowned doctors and an increased call to be healthy flooding the news, people are considering surgical options more and more, right along with fad diets, cleanses and “fix” type programs. Weight loss surgery DC is no different than the procedures that are performed across the country (and the rest of the world) but is it the right choice for you?

Bariatric Surgery Explained

This type of surgery is a permanent solution for those that overeat, cannot properly diet or exercise, and have the desire to change their lifestyle. This is a solution that will require work, however - it is not a quick fix, and seeing results will take time. The surgery itself is completed in one day, and the changes and reactions must be immediate. The idea behind the surgery is to decrease the size of the stomach, which will keep patients from eating too much and eventually cause them to lose weight.This weight loss is meant to take stress off of the body, allowing organs to function better and for the patient to become “healthier” as time passes and they are able to exercise and get around more. Many people that choose bariatric surgery are at the end of the line, and feel as if they have no other options; this is not a first choice option, typically it will be the last thing that health care professionals recommend due to the length and severity of the recovery period.

What Does Bariatric Surgery Mean For Me?

First, it is important to know whether or not you are a candidate for weight loss surgery Washington DC. The regulations may vary slightly depending on the location you visit, but visiting
http://www.medstarwashington.org/our-services/bariatrics-and-weight-management/treatments/am-i-a-candidate-for-bariatric-surgery/ will let you know what the criteria are for the nation’s capital.

If approved for the surgery, you’ll need to immediately begin doing things differently, starting with showing that you can commit to a new diet and lifestyle. The surgery will mean many changes in habits from drinking more water, fewer sugary and carbonated drinks, eliminating fried food and focusing on nutrition rather than eating for enjoyment. This isn’t to say that you cannot eat the things you enjoy, but that you’ll need to find new ways to cook and consume your favorite foods. You’ll need to permanently commit to the “new you”, as you will have to keep on top of it for the rest of your life.

Many patients notice that the weight comes off very quickly in the few months after having the surgery, but changes and progress will be made continuously as long as you are willing to work for them.

The Importance of Treating A-fib

Written By: Rachael Kaine

Medications For Treating A-fib

If you’ve been diagnosed with a-fib and have started a treatment regimen, you will need to be sure to follow the suggested medication schedule in order to best address the issue and ensure proper recovery and better health. Medications are provided and prescribed for a specific purpose, and interrupting the schedule or simply not paying attention to what you are told to do can have and adverse impact on your health. For atrial fibrillation treatment DC, many different medications may be prescribed, each meant to do something specific to help you out.

Surprisingly, many of these medications are meant to address the potential complications like blood clots that can occur as the result of atrial fibrillation. These include blood thinners, blood pressure medication and even medication meant to help control stress. There are options that also are meant to help control the heart’s function like rate and rhythm controllers. Included in this list are beta blockers and calcium, sodium and potassium blockers, each of which does something different by controlling a different aspect of the heart’s function.

A-fib Prognosis

Not all atrial fibrillation is the same because each individual’s body is different. The ultimate goal of a-fib treatment Washington DC is to keep the heart’s rhythm as normal as possible for as long as possible. This needs to occur in order to keep people from developing conditions as a result of the diagnosis, and succumbing to a new way of life that may include constant fatigue, dizziness, chest pain and an inability exercise, socialize or even sleep properly.

Since this condition increases the likelihood for strokes and eventual heart failure, it is important to take it seriously and to listen to the advice of medical professionals. Even if the a-fib is the only condition that you’re suffering from, it should carefully be managed in order to keep this true, and to keep the condition from progressing to an even more serious state.

Careful communication with your doctors and other people that have received the same diagnosis can make you much more comfortable with your own health, and help you to understand what you need to do - and how you can do it. This is not a death sentence, as many patients that have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation have been able to continue living normal and healthy lives, and even more still have been able to make slight adjustments to their lifestyles to accommodate their new medication schedules and expectations without much trouble. This is a condition that people may live with for years until it becomes just another facet of their daily lives.

Preparing For Bariatric Surgery

Written By: Rachael Kaine

Bariatric Surgery: The First Steps

Deciding to have weight loss surgery DC is a big step in your life, so you should ensure that you adequately prepare yourself for what is to come. This is a process that will take months to complete, and even the results will be continually evolving; you need to be willing to put the time and effort into making the surgery successful, otherwise it is not worth going through with the procedure.

After finding out whether or not you are even a candidate for bariatric surgery, you need to weigh the pros and cons with the help of a trusted medical team and those close to you. Although ultimately, it is your decision as to whether or not you will go through with the procedure, you’ll need to know what to expect in terms of the medical aspect and the amount of help you will have from family and friends. Though most of the recovery will be up to you, there will be times (especially right after coming home from the hospital) where you will need someone with you constantly to assist you with day to day activities like cooking, bathing and mobility. These needs grow depending on your initial weight, as people who are unable to get around on their own before the surgery will need a great deal more help than those who will simply need a few weeks of recovery time before they are back on their feet.

What Comes Next With Bariatric Surgery?

After the surgery has been completed and you’re on the road to recovery, you’ll have to work toward things in steps and small increments. This might be something as simple as making it to and from the end of the driveway by yourself, or cooking meals for yourself that go along with your diet plan; it all depends on your overall health, the ability to focus, and your willingness to follow through. The strength of your support system is also imperative to success after having bariatric surgery Washington DC, as progress will take time, effort and commitment.

This isn’t simply a surgery, it is a new chance to live the life that you want to. Fewer restrictions will mean huge differences for you, and will show you that things do not have to stay as they have been; that change is entirely possible with help and determination. The key to understanding and preparing for bariatrics and weight management DC surgery is that while you’re given the tools to succeed by the doctors, it’s up to you to use them properly and indefinitely.

ACL Repair can Relieve Pain and Instability

Written By: Sara Loch

Ligaments are tough, elastic connective tissue that connect bone to bone.  Your knee has 4 ligaments, and these can become damaged due to injury.  The most common knee ligament to be injured is the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), making ACL repair a common surgical procedure.

The four ligaments of the knee are:

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL): Located in the center of the knee, this ligament controls rotation and forward movement of the tibia (shin bone).

• Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL): Also located in the center of the knee, this ligaments controls backward movement of the tibia.

• Medial collateral ligament (MCL): This is the ligament that gives stability to the inner knee.

• Lateral collateral ligament (LCL): Gives stability to the outer knee.

 

Who might need ACL repair Washington DC?

Some symptoms that you have injured a ligament in your knee include: a popping sound in your knee, your leg may buckle, and there can be pain and swelling.  Depending on the severity of your knee ligament injury, ACL reconstruction Washington DC may or may not be necessary.  Alternatives to ACL reconstruction surgery to treat a knee injury can include: rest, ice pack, compression, elevation, and pain relievers.  If the injury is more severe and includes a tear in the ACL or another knee ligament, doctors may try to treat it with muscle-strengthening exercises, a protective knee brace, and activity limitations.

If a knee ligament is completely torn, it can cause pain and instability in the knee and often requires ACL repair Washington DC.  The injury can be diagnosed using:

• X-ray: Uses electromagnetic energy beams to make images of internal tissues, bones, and organs.

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Uses large magnets to make detailed images of organs and structures within the body.

• CT scan: Uses x-rays and computer technology to make detailed images of the body.

• Arthroscopy: A small tube with a light and a camera called an arthroscope is inserted into a small incision to evaluate the inside of the joint.

 

In addition to assisting in diagnosis of a knee injury, arthroscopy can sometimes be used in ACL reconstruction surgery DC.  Traditionally, ACL surgery Washington DC is done with a large incision, but the use of an arthroscope requires only small incisions and is minimally invasive. 

You can learn more about ACL surgery Washington DC by visiting:
http://www.medstarwashington.org/our-services/orthopaedics/treatments/acl-repair-reconstruction.

Bariatric Surgery: Sleeve Gastrectomy

Written By: Sharon Cretsinger

Laparoscopic bariatric surgery for weight control is becoming more and more common as advances are made that allow surgeons to visualize and manipulate internal parts of the body without large incisions.  One of these types of surgeries is the Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy, also known simply as "the sleeve".  In this procedure, the surgeon removes about 80% of the stomach, leaving a much smaller, tubular pouch.  While this surgery is less invasive than a gastric bypass, it has comparable efficacy.  The rate of complications following the surgery is slightly higher.

Sleeve Gastrectomy Weight Loss Surgery Washington DC

These are some of the advantages of the Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy for weight management Washington DC:

• Positive changes in gut hormones that control hunger, reduce appetite and improve feelings of fullness are noted post-surgery.
• The procedure does not require the implantation of any foreign objects into the abdominal cavity.
• There is no bypass or re-routing of consumed foods and drinks.
• The three year, sustained weight loss for patients having this procedure is greater than 50% of the original weight excess.  This is comparable to the gastric bypass procedure.
• The amount of food the stomach can hold, and subsequently the number of calories consumed, is physically restricted by the decreased size of the new stomach pouch.

The Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy has a few disadvantages as a weight loss surgery DC.  Some of these are as follows:

• This procedure is not reversible.  Once a large portion of the stomach has been removed, it is generally not possible to subsequently increase the size of the stomach.  Other procedures, such as the adjustable gastric band, can allow for at least some increase in size because none of the original stomach tissue is completely removed.
• It is possible that patients who have the sleeve procedure will experience long term vitamin deficiencies in the future.  For this reason, those undergoing this procedure must be willing to comply with a life-long supplementation regimen.
• The rate of post-surgical complications with this specific surgical procedure have been noted to be somewhat higher than complications with both the adjustable gastric band and the traditional gastric bypass surgeries.